And So She Runs Again
by StrawberryMilkPanda
Summary: In a slum town like this, Gumi would never expect that one constant to return to her again... baseball. From the song "Panda Hero."


"Pa, pa, pa, ra…"

"Gumi! There you are!"

Bubblegum popping, Gumi tilted her head up slightly to catch view of Miku, who was desperately calling for her. She couldn't fathom why the girl was ever so frantic and returned to playing her DS—the boss she was trying to defeat was much more interesting than that goody-two-shoes. But, due to Miku's ever-so-persevering personality, she was forced to listen to the girl whine about whatever she wanted to whine about.

Darn, she was about to beat that boss too.

Not listening to the high-pitched voice for a second, she closed the DS and curled up on the bench. This seemed like it was going to take long.

"…And our team is losing too! I thought I rounded up all the good players…"

Gumi scoffed, "You don't even like baseball. And what about good players? There are none in these slums."

"You're wrong!" Miku pointed out, intensely staring at a dull rock, "I was influenced… and now I'm interested."

"Hmm? I wonder who influenced you, not that it matters," Gumi blew and popped another bubble, "So what did you need me for?"

"Baseball, of course!"

She sighed. This was to be expected, but she didn't want it. Yes, perhaps she was an expert in baseball, but that could not change the motivation she did not have anymore. This was why she came to this town. To get away from everything, she needed to find a place that looked like what she felt—the slums. Of course, she could never really escape that one constant. It just had to be Miku who brought it up again.

"I'll think about it," Gumi chuckled as she chewed out the last bit of flavor in her bubblegum. She rose from the bench and headed home.

"Wait, Gumi! It's not 'I'll think about it!' We really need a player!"

Sensing warmth behind her back, she immediately turned around and spit the gum in Miku's face. "Someone like you shouldn't order others."

She laughed as she walked off, listening to Miku's screaming behind her.

* * *

How many years had it been since she watched a game?

On the border of fantasy and reality, she couldn't recall which memories were real and which were fakes. All she could make out was the setting around her: dust, grass, and clear sky. She chuckled at the clear sky. Was it mocking today's game or did it bring a foreshadowing?

In the comfortable, yet ragged bench, she didn't feel the least bit squished by the other people. In fact, she liked being hidden like this, since Miku wouldn't be able to find her now. The man next to her didn't care for anything else other than the game, making it easier to sneak away as any time without fail. She was pretty sure she didn't know the guy either. While staring off, she caught sight of Miku avidly cheering on her team. The others didn't look the least bit excited.

"I hope our team wins this year…"

What a joke. With those weaklings, the only chance of them winning a game is close to none. All of them were brought up by the worst kind, but they still have hope of accomplishing something. That sounded like something enlightening; however, she didn't care. After all, what did they have to do with her?

Just as she popped another stick of gum in her mouth, the games started. Miku was a batter. "This ought to turn out well," she muttered sarcastically.

As her prediction was correct, Miku received three strikes in a flash. She checked out the pitcher to see that his team was made up of people of a more elite status than them. A twitch, but she did not move from her spot.

After half an hour of the game, she could see Miku's team was losing zero to four. In this time, she had called for some soda, ballpark snacks, and more gum. At this rate, she'll be broke from buying too much food. Stupid nervous habits.

Finally, the blonde kid (Len, was it?) hit a homerun. It could've been due to his experience or sheer luck or maybe both. At least that kid didn't look like a complete newbie. After that luckily hit, they kept getting points, eventually making it a tie, until the opposing team started batting. There was no way they could win now.

She checked her surroundings. People were obviously bored and tired, but in every person's eye, there was something the other team didn't have. As a ball from the opposing team came flying at her, she caught it and laughed as the big screen featured her with the caught baseball. This was this town's secret weapon.

Quickly, she shoved her way out of the stands and to the field. Her happiness grew as the angry yells at her became more present. Grabbing the nearest bat, she saw Miku and her crew staring at her as if she were an alien. Maybe she was.

"When is it my turn?"

"R-right now," Miku stuttered.

She walked up to the base and put her body into position. Her memories of the past washed through her, but not enough to overwhelm her. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she gripped the bat firmer. She could see the pitcher's eyes were dull and smirked. There were already two players on first and second base. All they needed now was a miracle… or perhaps not.

The pitcher threw the ball rapidly. A curve. Concentrated as ever, she noticed the trick and avoided hitting the ball. She heard people boo her. That was fine; she wasn't doing this so she could be loved.

In the second pitch, the pitcher threw the ball too fast. She dodged that one as well. People had more agitated howls now.

Now it was the final pitch. This time, the ball was a combination of the two. She snorted. She wanted something easy, but a challenge could do her good as well. In an instant, she swung her bat and smacked the ball in the air. Although she wanted to savor the feeling, she knew there was no time. Her feet picked up and she ran until the end. She could smell the nostalgic dust and feel her sneakers drag along the field, causing a storm behind her. At that point she thought she really did love baseball.

Catching her breath, she heard roaring in her ears. No, it wasn't her body producing that, but the bellows of others. Miku ran over and gave a model-like smile. She brushed it off and flopped on the grass. The clear blue sky seemed to be congratulating her. As she closed her eyes, she heard that the game was over and they had won. She opened her eyes to see people crowding around her, asking for her name.

Instead of answering them bluntly, she sang, "…pa, pa, pa, ra, pa… that's our Panda Hero."

* * *

A/N: Hello there! This is my first time writing a Vocaloid fic... so please feel free to criticize. I'm sure this is sort of OOC. I know there was another Panda Hero fic, but I wanted to write my own. ^^" Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!

And in no way do the song or these characters belong to me!


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